We spent all day Saturday in Waco. We hung out with Vivi's birthmother, other two children, and cousin. That was a good visit. Her 7 year old son was so sad at first that Vivi wouldn't go to him! We told him that she does that to us too. But by the end of our visit, she was riding on his back and he was carrying her around saying she was a Queen! So cute. Isaac just loved playing with all the kids in the playground and didn't visit with us much. M's other daughter gave us the same "stink eye" Vivianna gives us everyday, which had us all laughing! I got a picture of the two girls doing the same furrowed eyebrows. Hilarious. Besides Vivi having brown hair and her birthsister having black, they look SO much like each other, and are very similar in their fiesty personalities too. Overall it was a nice visit. We will see them again in November when we go for our agency's annual fundraiser.
Afterwards we went over to where the agency was doing their all day training for potential adoptive parents. We spoke on a panel that included two birthmothers. Their stories were heartbreaking! What struck me the most was when they said that the months following the placement of their babies, their hearts felt like it was breaking every minute of every day. One said that she used to count down the minutes of the day until she could go to bed and be with her baby in her dreams. I was sad to hear that in 4 years for one and 9 years for the other, they had never been in the prescence of the children they placed, only recieved pictures and videos. For both girls, this had been their firstborn child- birthed at around 19 and 20 years old. I can't imagine the sacrifice of love it takes to make the decision that says
I do not have the resources to parent this child that is truly my heart. The women said that they used to count down the days until the pictures would arrive and would look over them for hours. These are women who loved the baby God had grown in their bodies so much that they wanted the BEST for that baby. A mom and a dad as one woman put. "Why would I deny my daughter the opportunity to have a Daddy," she said "All children should have a Daddy." Beautiful.
Many people are leary of open adoptions and say they don't want to compete with another mother. I had a person ask me once if I was jealous when Vivi's birthmother held her? What? I in no way feel competitive towards the woman that carried my daughter in her womb for 9 months, gave her life, and chose me for her. I feel gratitude. I am not co-parenting with her. Billy and I chose to pierce Vivi's ears, we chose to put her in mother's day out, we chose to have dogs in our family, we chose to move her out of the crib...
we are her parents. I told this lady that I am no more jealous of Vivi's birthfamily loving her than I would be of my sister loving her. Your children can never have too many people that think the sun rises and sets on their sweet face, right?
I am as grateful as anyone who has birthed their daughter is, that God handpicked a little soul to be loaned to me for as long as He sees fit. And I am grateful for the journey that brought them home.
With our budget cuts this year, came no costumes for our dogs :( 
Today was our school's fall parties. Isaac's class frosted pumpkin shaped sugar cookies and got a huge bag of treats. Vivi's class didn't do a party (no moms but me came, and I gave the toddlers treat bags) which was sad (so I have no pictures), I will make sure their Christmas party is more involved! Isaac doesn't feel good and I am hoping he is better tomorrow. By the way- Billy has been on a business trip since Monday and comes home tomorrow. The kids have never gone this long without seeing him and we are SO ready for Daddy to come back home in time for Halloween!!
I had my toddler class Trick Or Treat around the school and the directors and some other teachers gave the kids paper "candy" that I passed out beforehand. Then the class had pumpkin bread sent by one of the Mom's and we did a bean bag toss. They had a great day!
Isaac helped me make dinner the other night on a blustery day (gotta love it when the high is below 70!) We made Mummy dogs!! We drank orange lemonade too. Isaac enjoyed his Halloween-themed meal...and Billy did too! I kind of the think the Mummies look more like Arabian Dogs. Made me think of my dear friend Gloria and her family in the middle east. Miss you!!
Isaac is really becoming such a sensitive soul to the needs of others. He always asks my mom how her shoulder is doing (she had surgery). He helps out around the apartment with a willing spirit. Last night after dinner I was doing the dishes and he came in and said "how can I help?" So with a huge smile on my face, I set him to work putting the leftovers in tupperware. Then he wanted to wipe down the table! One night he said, "Mom, I'll clean off Vivi's face and you go start her bath." He didn't want to eat his fruit one morning and I told him that we need to be grateful that God has provided us fruit because in some countries children don't get fruit at all. And he said "lets take our food and give it to them!" I said "they live too far away" and he said "but we can give our food to Grandma because she has a hurt arm and can't make her own food!" Oh my goodness. He always wants to carry groceries up the stairs, loves to put dog food in the bowls for Lucy and Oscar and even told the lady at the church nursery to "make sure and change Vivi's diaper". What a thoughtful boy we have. I could go on and on.
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